The boat docked at a rickety piece of wood that led to a small path lined with thick overgrowth. It looked like an abandoned place where a pirate might have stashed his treasure centuries before.
"This is it? It looks... um like one of those wilderness survival shows. Am I going to have to fight you and eat squirrels?" I smiled as the attendant brought the boat right up to the rickety dock.
"I... don't... know..." Anderson whispered as though he thought the attendant might be plotting to kill us.
"Should I try to overtake him? Can you drive a boat? I can't even drive a car," I whispered back to him as the attendant happily tied the boat to a crumbling post.
"I no kill you. Just wait! Silly men." The attendant beamed at us.
We heard footsteps coming from the pathway. Faces came into view; three men in matching uniforms. One of them touched something on a tree and the dirt pathway lifted up. A long metal ramp slid out and covered the dock.
"All good. No kill, see?" the attendant laughed.
He lined the boat up with the metal deck, then offered us a hand to step up.
"Welcome, Mr. Yang! We have everything prepared for your stay." The uniformed man in the middle waved for us to follow him. He eyed me with interest. The other two workers came and got our luggage.
The path wasn't nearly as long as it looked from the dock. It zigged and zagged a few yards then opened to a clearing with a small, green barn. The man hit something on his watch and the barn doors slid open to reveal a lobby of white marble with deep, gold veins. In the center was a large sculpture of a naked man riding a bull. It was about 10 feet tall and looked like something from Ancient Rome.
The man led us past the check-in stand and out another pair of sliding doors that opened to a large garden. We headed for a golf cart and got in the back bench while the guide sat in front. He started it up and drove us around the narrow circle drive and out through the garden. It felt like we were on a ride at Disney with lush flowers and statues lining the path into a thick forest.
We drove around a three-story hotel and then out to smaller, individual casitas. Every building was built of gleaming white marble and huge windows blacked out with privacy tint. The roof of every building was covered with greenery and shaded from the harsh sun. It was extremely private and quiet.
He drove us up to another white, two-level building, and parked the cart near the entrance.
"This is the island center. We have two restaurants, a coffee shop, gym, business and activity center should you wish to engage with others. The pool is behind, with a bar next to the ocean. Everything is open around the clock since we have visitors from every time zone. Feel free to spend as much time as you like here." The man told us.
He walked us inside where there was a small coffee shop with six tables. An older man was working on his laptop at one table while a younger, male couple shared drinks at another. Past the coffee place was a small market with gifts and travel necessities. I poked Anderson and pointed towards a display of lubricants, condoms, and other sex things. He winked at me and we walked on. They had other things like snacks, sunblock, hats, etc...
"The casual restaurant." Our guide waved towards a small cafe where several groups, all men, were having lunch. We got a lot of interested looks from the other guests.
We went upstairs to the gym and activity center. There were large tables and a wall shelf with games, books, and charging stations for phones or anything else with a plug. The business center was tucked into a small corner of it.
YOU ARE READING
The Big One
RomanceBetween work, school, and the gym, 19 year old Ezra Ryan doesn't have much time for fun in post-pandemic San Francisco. He's leery of the older guys who get too forward with him when he's trying to work. But something about Anderson seems different...
